Chiesa named new football coach at North Farmington.

Written Sunday April 30th at 5:40 PM
Updated Thursday May 4th at 11:30 AM

North Farmington has found their football coach.

Bob Chiesa was named football coach succeeding Todd Schultz whom will focus on being the Athletic Director at North Farmington.

From two accurate sources Chiesa was named Raiders coach on Friday. He met with the players on the same day he was named coach.

Chiesa was a member of the Michigan football team in 1978 and 1979. He was a Letterman for the school under legendary coach Bo Schembechler. Chiesa has been well known around High School Football especially from his days in the former Kensington Lakes Activities Association. He was the defensive coordinator at Hartland. When Chiesa was there, the Eagles allowed 168 points in 2014, in which Hartland was a playoff team that season. 

Chiesa left Hartland in 2015, in which he became the defensive and special teams’ coordinators at Waterford Mott. His defense allowed 283 points including two games where they allowed 37 points against Lakeland and 35 against Walled Lake Central last season.

Chiesa takes over a North Farmington football team that was abysmal, allowing 334 points and only scored 32 points in nine games. The Raiders had to forfeit their game against Harrison for not having enough players last season.

North Farmington went winless in the White and moved down to the Blue this season.

North Farmington hopes that Chiesa can turn around a program that is in desperate need of a jump start heading into the season. The Raiders will have some players to lean on in quarterbacks Nigel Weems and Brendan Hudson, along with running backs Taj Cheathem and Dylan Gordon, and wide receivers Jaylen Ferguson, and Myles Gresham.

Chiesa has had a checkered past according to MIPrepZone. In 2011, he was suspended along with another former assistant coach Bill Brenner when he was an assistant at Walled Lake Western for an alleged hazing incident off campus at a team gathering. He was at the School Board meeting but did not speak.

Chiesa was cleared from any wrong doing surrounding the incident.

Chiesa has bounced back since the incident as mentioned with two successful defensive coordinating jobs at Waterford Mott and at Hartland to earn his first opportunity as a head coach.

North Farmington opens up the season at Grand Valley State against Greenville in August. The Raiders will compete in the Blue this season and will have a tough schedule which includes games against Farmington, Avondale, Ferndale, and Pontiac Notre Dame Prep.

Thoughts.

This is an interesting hire for North Farmington because Chiesa is a strong defensive minded coach despite having a checkered past when he was at Walled Lake Western but he had success at Hartland and at Waterford Mott.

I’m curious how his style of play would match up against OAA teams especially against those whom are offensive powers in the Blue like Avondale and Ferndale. Chiesa takes over a defense that was just awful a season ago allowing the third most points in the league. If Chiesa can get a strong offensive coordinator whom can put up some points and address the football program from the freshman level up then maybe the Raiders could go somewhere this season. North Farmington has not made the playoffs since 2013.

Chiesa will have a very tough challenge ahead of him. He must create a Junior Varsity team and get the numbers back up at North Farmington. North Farmington has an enrollment of 1249 students for next season so there is talent there, it's just getting the students out to play football for the Raiders.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for updates on this developing story.

Here is the MIPrepZone story surrounding the checkered past.

http://www.miprepzone.com/oakland/results.asp?ID=5819

Pleasant Out at Rochester.

Written Sunday April 30th at 12:40 AM
Updated Friday May 5th at 10:35 PM

Rochester Athletic Director Luke Beach just filled their Girls Basketball position with Al Poynter taking over the team now he has to fill the Boys Basketball position as well.

Falcons coach John Pleasant has stepped down after serving nine seasons coaching at Rochester according to Scott Bernstein of State Champs. Pleasant was named the 2012 Class A State Coach of the Year and the 2013 Basketball Coaches Association's Coach of the Year.

Pleasant took his team to the State Quarterfinals in 2013 when they had James Young, whom ended up being at Kentucky for one season and then in the NBA with the Boston Celtics. Young came to Rochester from Troy for his Senior season.

Pleasant has also coached power forward Taylor Perry whom went to Western Michigan to play College Basketball and point guard Paris Pereira. Both of them were on a 20-2 Rochester team that won the Blue, and took out Adams in the district semifinal but they was upset by Orion in the district final in 2012.

Rochester had a rough three seasons since the State Quarterfinal run. They went winless (0-21) in 2014, and went 9-12 the year after. The Falcons were supposed to be one of the favorites in the Blue with the experience and talent they had back but they went 11-11 and had a very disappointing 3-7 in the league finishing fifth out of six teams. Rochester lost in the district final to Stoney Creek after eliminating Utica from the tournament in the district semifinal.

The Falcons will have forwards LaMarko Gulledge, and his younger brother Corey coming back, along with guard Hunter Schlatter. Rochester has a solid Junior Varsity team coming up that was successful under coach Jeff Haney.

Rochester is an interesting job because the Falcons program has the talent and resources to compete. Rochester is a basketball rich town but the Falcons have to compete with their city rivals in Adams and Stoney Creek. The Cougars were a regional finalist this season losing to the eventual State Champion Clarkston while the Highlanders went winless under their former player and former Stoney Creek Girls Basketball Coach Brad Crighton whom coached his first season at Adams.

There has been a lot of rumors that Rochester could keep the job in house. There are three candidates that are great fits to the Falcons program in Haney, Lima Pereira, or Stephan Henning. Haney has coached both Girls and Boys Basketball in Rochester and was the Boys Junior Varsity coach for the Falcons in the balk of Pleasent's era. Pereira, whom is the father of Paris is the long-time freshman coach for Rochester and despite not having Varsity experience he has AAU experience to make up for it. Henning played point guard at Rochester from 2002-2005 and played at Rochester College under Garth Pleasent. Henning has Varsity coaching experience when he coached at Oxford from 2013-2015.

If they go outside the box and do a complete rebuild then it could be very interesting.

Thoughts.

This was a surprise to see Pleasant leave Rochester especially with whom they return next season. The Falcons are in an interesting spot with all the talent back. It will be interesting to see how the talent responds to Rochester having a new coach next season.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.

Pontiac Agrees to new Partnership Agreement.

Written Saturday April 29th at 2:45 PM

Pontiac High School will be in existence next school year.

The Pontiac School District will sign a partnership agreement with the State Department of Education on Monday at 6 PM at the O’Dell Nails Administration Building meaning that Pontiac High School and Walt Whitman Elementary will not close at the end of the school year. The agreement will be signed at the Pontiac School Board Meeting according to the Oakland Press.

Oakland Schools and State Superintendent Brian Whiston have already signed the agreement.

Pontiac High School and Walt Whitman Elementary school were subject to closure because of low academic achievement. Both schools were place on the Priority list as two of the 38 schools that were subject to close but with the new partnership agreement signed they were taken off the list for now.

The Pontiac School District had two other elementary schools that were removed from the Priority list this year because they met the academic status.

The Pontiac School District signed a consent agreement with the State in 2013 has turned around the district going from a $51.7 million-dollar deficit to $25 million still in the red and graduation rates have also increased from 55 percent to 69 percent in the last three years.

The new partnership agreement will replace the consent agreement in which they have with the State Treasurer from 2013. For the consent agreement to be replaced the State Treasurer has to sign an amendment to replace the original consent agreement, which is expected to happen.

The new partnership agreement sets up goals for student achievement in Math and Reading along with attendance, culture, and climate. It also means that the Pontiac School District will have 18 months to meet the three to five percent target growth in those areas.

The new partnership agreement says that the district must add some partners to assist them in their road to recovery. Pontiac does have partners whom will help and support them in their recovery in Oakland University, Oakland Community College, The State Education Department, Oakland Schools, and General Motors.

The partnership agreement guarantees that Pontiac High will be a school next season and the Phoenix will be competing this upcoming season. Pontiac will move down from Class A to Class B with 848 students next season.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest updates on this story.

Bloomfield Hills Looking for New Boys Basketball Coach.

Written Thursday April 27th at 9:30 PM

It looks like “Crazy Mike” has left the building.

Mike Maryanski has stepped down from Bloomfield Hills according to State Champs Scott Bernstein last week. Maryanski took over the Boys Basketball program from Dwayne Graves in 2014 after he led the Blackhawks to the State Finals in their first season as a merged school. However internal issues forced Graves out in 2014 and Maryanski took over in 2015.

Graves now coaches Boys Basketball at Clawson.

Maryanski came over to Bloomfield Hills from West Bloomfield. Marynaski was Lakers coach Jeremy Dehna's top assistant. 

Maryanski led the Blackhawks to a share the White title in 2016 with Pontiac and West Bloomfield.

Bloomfield Hills moved up to the Red this season. They had a strong start to the season going 8-2 on the season but the Blackhawks went 2-9 the rest of the way, finishing the season at 10-11. Bloomfield Hills lost to Troy at home 54-47 in the district semifinal.

Whomever takes over the Blackhawks would be the fourth coach in five years.

Thoughts.

There has been some inner turmoil surrounding the program. That could had been one of the reasons why Marynaski decided to leave the program.

It will be interesting whom Bloomfield Hills hires as their next head coach. One possible name that has mentioned is Blackhawks Girls Basketball coach Jeff Rubin, although not likely to pursue the job, he has coached both the Boys and Girls teams at Bloomfield Hills Andover when the Bloomfield Hills school district split high schools with Lahser and Andover.

Whomever the next coach will be at Bloomfield Hills will have a solid sub-varsity program and the new facilities that the Blackhawks have. It’s a good job but you will be in a division (Red) with the defending State Champs, Clarkston, last season’s State runner up North Farmington, Final Four participant in West Bloomfield, State Quarterfinalist Troy, Southfield Arts and Tech, and Hazel Park.

It will be interesting who gets the job.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.

Dragons Make Surprising Move.

Written Saturday April 22nd at 4:40 PM

The Dragons Girls Basketball team are going to have their third head coach in three seasons this upcoming winter.

Orion coach Kevin Kopec was let go a few weeks ago after serving one season in the Varsity ranks. He has been very successful coaching the Junior Varsity until last season.

Kopec took over the team for Steve Roberts whom was let go following the turmoil that has effected the program last season. He has been with the Dragons Girls Basketball program since 2007 and has been around the Basketball world since 2002.

The Dragons had a tough season going 8-13, losing 59-33 to Waterford Kettering in the pre-district. Orion was ranked one of the top teams in Oakland County to start the season but they struggled off the bat, especially in the White where they finished third at 5-5 behind Bloomfield Hills and Royal Oak.

Kopec had some adversity issues in his only season as the Varsity Coach. Orion had two setbacks during the season, Maddie Novak transferred to Birmingham Detroit Country Day and Cameron Coltrin being injured in the middle of the season.

The Dragons also had some issues offensively during the season, including games where they couldn’t score. There were three games that Orion scored under 25 points, all of which were losses (15 vs Stoney Creek, 22 vs Bloomfield Hills, and 24 vs Lapeer.)

Whomever the new coach will be next season will have a ton of talent in Coltrin, Sophie Canine, Tessa Nuss, Paytin Shadaia, Sophie Wyborski, Shannon Falter, Lauryn Van Loon and Sydney Strenger returning.

Thoughts.

This was a surprising move to let Kopec go. Kopec was trying to build a program and tried to change a culture that has gone through so much turmoil the last few seasons.

It will be interesting whom gets the job at Orion. The Dragons have a solid Junior Varsity and Freshman programs, not to mention the Middle School programs at Scripps, Waldon, and Oakview are also solid as well so it’s a good job.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.

An Old Face Returns to the OAA.

Written Saturday April 22nd at 4:40 PM

The Rochester Falcons have found a new Girls Basketball coach. An old face is coming back but to coach a different team.

The Falcons hired Al Poynter to coach the team, replacing Adam Sheldon whom resigned earlier in the month.

Poynter brings a ton of experience to Rochester. He was at Oxford until 2011 in which he led the Wildcats to have successful seasons in the Flint Metro League.

Rochester went 3-18 last season, losing to Adams in the district semifinal. The Falcons will have a ton of issues to fix within the program. Rochester will have Tori Hawkins back and she should be healthy for next season.

Thoughts.

Rochester is a mess but they have found the right guy to fix this mess.

Poynter has had a history of taking over messes and have made something out of nothing. He must get the Girls committed to play basketball and build a program over there. Sheldon had commitment issues in his final season.

We’ll see what happens but Poynter has a ton of work to do over at Rochester.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.

Thompson Out at Groves.

Written Friday April 21st at 11:35 AM

First it was Shea Carter leaving Groves to go to North Carolina, now the Falcons head coach is leaving as well.

Groves coach Amos Thompson has stepped down from coaching to focus on family. Thompson coached the Falcons for six seasons before stepping down last week.

Groves finished 18-2 and 10-0 in the Gold, winning it outright. The Falcons also had big wins over Orion and Adams but they were upset in the pre-district by their arch rival Seaholm losing 55-45 at Troy.

Thompson has made Groves into a winner but it wasn’t easy, he had a 3-17 season a few seasons ago but turned it around the last two seasons.

The Falcons will have Kayla Nelson back next season but it will be interesting whom will be coaching this team. Groves will still be a very good basketball team in 2017-2018.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.

NCAA puts hammer on High School Coaches and Camps.

Written Friday April 21st at 11:30 AM

It looks like the NCAA will crack down on High School Coaches volunteering for camps if they get their way.

The organization according to the Detroit News High School reporter David Goricki will vote on a new by law next week called the Individual Associated with a Recruited-Prospective Athlete.

The new rule would state that "In Football, an institution or staff member shall not employ (paid or volunteer) an individual associated with a recruited, prospective student athlete at the institution's camp or clinic unless at least two years have elapsed since the initial full time enrollment at the institution."

If the rule passes, which it likely will ban high school coaches from working at Division One football camps.

A lot of high school coaches are crying foul here because the new rule cuts down relationships with college coaches and high school coaches. Also this hurts a high school coach if he were interested in coming out of high school to coach in college. Some of them even compare the new rule to Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh.

We'll see what happens, this is far from over.

You can check Goricki's article right here.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/high-school/2017/04/19/high-school-coaches-decry-new-rules-proposal/100678716/

Spring Sports Top Five Teams

Written Monday April 3rd at 10:00 PM

Happy Spring Break folks, anyway here are my top five teams for most of the Spring Sports. I know a lot of people may not agree with me, so here they are.

Baseball.

1. Rochester: Falcons have everyone back from a team that made the quarterfinals. Can they make a playoff run this season???

2. Orion: Will be the toughest challenger to Rochester but can the Dragons find some hitting???

3. West Bloomfield: Lakers have a ton of experience, athletic and quick. They will be solid.

4. Stoney Creek: Cougars always disciplined, might not be most talented team but well coached.

5. Clarkston: Wolves have veterans back, they could make some noise.

Softball.

1. Orion: Dragons have experience but can they gel together???

2. Clarkston: Wolves are in the same boat as the Dragons.

3. North Farmington: Raiders have the pitching but hitting is a question mark.

4. Oxford: Wildcats making progress, could make some noise.

5. Athens: Red Hawks have experience back, should be competitive.

Girls Soccer.

1. Stoney Creek: Expect the defending champs to be solid again this season.

2. Bloomfield Hills: Blackhawks have experience, should be an interesting team to keep an eye on.

3. Adams: Highlanders could be in line for a special season.

4. Berkley: Bears have experience, expect Berkley to do some greatness this season.

5. Avondale: Experience is huge for the Yellow Jackets, will make some noise this season.

Boys Lacrosse.

1. Orion: Dragons have a ton of experience back, they could make a deep run this season.

2. Athens: Red Hawks had a rough year last season, expected to do better this season.

3. Clarkston: Wolves are very young but is deep as always but they could be in for a long season.

4. Birmingham: Bulldogs could surprise some people this season.

5. Oxford: Weak division gives the Wildcats a good shot to do some damage this season.

Girls Lacrosse.

1. Birmingham: Bulldogs made the State Final last season, could be back again.

2. Athens: Red Hawks have some talent back this season.

3. Troy: Colts could be interesting to keep an eye on.

4. Orion: Dragons have the talent to break out this season.

5. Stoney Creek: Cougars will be an interesting team to keep an eye on this season.

Boys Track.

1. Oak Park: Knights will be tough to compete with this season.

2. Orion: Dragons strong in distance and field events, sprints are a question mark.

3. Troy: Colts dark horse to keep an eye on this season.

4. Clarkston: Wolves have the depth and distance.

5. Southfield Arts and Tech: Warriors have the depth to compete with anyone.

Girls Track.

1. Oak Park: Defending champs have a ton of talent back, will be experienced.

2. Clarkston: The Wolves have the distance and depth to compete with anyone in the State.

3. Orion: Dragons field events will be dangerous and they have balance as well.

4. Bloomfield Hills: Blackhawks have been sneaky but they do well at the right time.

5. Adams: The Highlanders will surprise some folks this season.

Top Ten Boys Basketball Storylines for 2017-2018 School Year.

Written Saturday April 1st at 2:30 PM

The OAA Boys Basketball season is over and the Clarkston Wolves took home the State’s ultimate prize. The OAA had four teams in the Sweet 16 this season with Clarkston, West Bloomfield, Stoney Creek, and Troy all getting to the Regional final and five teams winning districts if you include Hazel Park in Class B. Here are my top ten storylines for next season.

1. Can Clarkston Repeat???

The Wolves will be an interesting team to keep an eye on next season as they return four starters from their State Championship team including Foster Loyer, CJ Robinson, and Taylor Currie. Clarkston will have a deep bench as well but they must replace Dylan Alderson’s production if they want to repeat next season. They have a great shot at doing it.

2. Hazel Park Questions???

The Vikings shared the White crown this season but they had their fair share of turmoil surrounding the program. Hazel Park has talent coming back but can they keep them together. Carl Bow, David Hearns, and Devin Pettis are going to be seniors next season but according to MIPrepZone’s Scott Bernsterin Bow’s father was not happy with the Vikings coaching staff and was critical about them after Hazel Park lost to Detroit Collegiate Prep of Northwestern in the Regional semifinal. He sent some tweets that had been since deleted. Coach Brendan Barrett’s team will be interesting to keep an eye on this offseason.

3. Teams that could make a run.

Well when you look at whom had a ton of talent coming back you got to look at the three teams that made runs this season in West Bloomfield, Troy, and Stoney Creek possibly making strong runs back next season.

The Cougars return Mike Melargani and Nate Davis from a team that went to the Regional Final, that won 17 games including its first district title and regional game over Linden and they had a solid junior varsity program this season. Stoney Creek will be a team to keep an eye on next season.

The other team to keep an eye on is Troy. The Colts went to the State Quarterfinals this season for the first time since 1989 before losing to West Bloomfield. Troy returns Leon Ayers and Jason Dietz to a team that will be loaded next season to make another run. The future is bright for coach Gary Fralick and his Colts.

If there is a wildcard team that could make a run it could be West Bloomfield. The Lakers made the Final Four this season but they will lose Kevin McAdoo. If there is a bright spot for coach Jeremy Denha’s team they do return James Falkner, Gavin Harvey, and Tre Harvey. If West Bloomfield can get some scoring next season then why not the Lakers.

4. How will Adams look next season???

The Highlanders had a rough 2016-2017 season going 0-21 but coach Brad Crighton’s team has a bright future. Adams will be interesting to keep an eye on with Vincent Gray coming back and they had a solid Junior Varsity program. The Highlanders will be in the hunt next season.

5. How will the Raiders look without Hardy???

The Raiders will be a much different team than they have been in recent seasons next season. Gone will be Amari Hardy whom was one of the best players in the State. He decommitted from Oklahoma State last week but he will be in the radar of some college folks especially Georgia and Georgia Tech next season.

6. Farmington will have to lean on Bryant to carry them next season.

The Falcons lost Jack Kirby and Jordan Graham to graduation but Ray Bryant will return next season for coach Terrance Porter. Farmington has some size coming in next season as well but they will have some questions. The Falcons will be a team to keep an eye on next season.

7. Troy Athens has a ton of experience coming back.

The Red Hawks will be an interesting storyline next season because they return some experience led by coach Taylor McCaskill and Jacob Brantley but they did lose Nick Cotton as he transferred to Harrison. Troy Athens coach Dave Scott will have experience coming back, so this will be a team to keep an eye on for next season.

8. Rochester has experience coming back.

The Falcons return a ton of experience from a team that was disappointing especially in the Blue in which Rochester finished 3-7 in the league while overall finishing with an 11-11 record. The Falcons lose Ivan Barazza-Duran but LaMarko Gulledge, Corey Gulledge, and Hunter Schattler are back. Rochester should be good next season but they have to produce results for coach John Pleasant or they won’t go anywhere.

9. What will happen with Groves next season.

The Falcons lose Marcus Pittman, Drew Schekell, and Charles Jones to graduation from a team that won the Blue this season but lost to Avondale in the pre-district. Groves will be an interesting team to keep an eye on next season as whom will take over the production for coach Marc West’s team.

10. Orion will be a team to watch.

The Dragons had a tough 4-16 season in 2016-2017 but they return a ton of talent in Jamie Lewis, Pierce Burke, Casey Strionek, and Drew Crane for next season. The key for Orion will be inside play and if the Dragons can get that then coach Jim Manzo will be one happy coach next season.

Sheldon Out at Rochester.

Written Saturday April 1st at 2:00 PM

Rochester will have a new Girls Basketball Coach next season.

Adam Sheldon stepped down as Falcons coach last month. Sheldon was at Rochester for seven seasons.

Last season, Rochester finished 3-18, and 2-7 in the Blue. The Falcons lost to Adams in the district semifinals.

Rochester will be in full rebuilding mode next season but the division they will be in next season is undecided.

It will be interesting who coaches at Rochester next season. Falcons Athletic Director Luke Beach will have his hands full for sure.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.